Thai Basil Tempeh

By admin

Makes 6 servings

This recipe is courtesy of Tracy On, executive chef and café manager of Patagonia. Employees at the company’s headquarters in Ventura, California, are lucky enough to enjoy this dish at the onsite café.

¼ cup vegetable oil

2 pounds tempeh, medium dice

Salt and pepper

¼ cup minced garlic cloves

3-4 Thai chilies, seeded and minced

¼ cup Bragg Liquid Aminos

¼ cup kecap manis (dark soy)

2 tablespoons mushroom stir-fry sauce (such as Lee Kum Kee brand)

2 tablespoons tamarind liquid (recipe below)

2 tablespoons sugar

1 ½ cups fresh Thai basil leaves, whole

Cook diced tempeh in hot oil until golden brown. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Stir-fry garlic and Thai chilies in oil for a few seconds. Add the cooked tempeh and sauté for a few seconds.

Add in the next 5 ingredients, reduce the sauce until most of the liquid is absorbed by the tempeh.

Add whole basil leaves and cook for a few more seconds, until leaves are just wilted.

Serve with black rice (also called forbidden rice) or brown rice.

Tamarind Liquid

3 tablespoons tamarind pulp (available at Asian markets)

½ cup warm water

Put tamarind in a small bowl. Pour water over tamarind and break up the pulp with a fork. Let steep 20 minutes. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh strainer. Use your hands or wooden spoon to push down on the pulp to extract as much liquid as possible. Scrape pulp from the underside of the strainer into the bowl. Discard pulp left in the strainer.

Tamarind liquid is now ready to use. Leftover liquid can be refrigerated for a week.